Jeb Bush, who has repeatedly claimed that “I’m my own man,” is raffling off an opportunity to meet with his mother, father and brother in Houston this October. The fine print on Bush’s campaign website states that you need not make a financial contribution to enter the sweepstakes, but it asks for a donation for $3 or more along with a submission into the contest.
In the early stages of his presidential campaign, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush rhetorically distanced himself from the former presidents in his immediate family. Now that Donald Trump has criticized George W. Bush’s presidency by pointing to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as evidence of his poor job, Jeb Bush is hugging his brother as tight as ever.
This raffle is not the first time the governor has leaned on his family to help boost his campaign. All three members of his immediate family touted in the raffle have participated in fundraisers for Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. President George W. Bush spoke at a fundraising luncheon for his brother’s campaign on the eve of the anniversary of Sept. 11, and Jeb Bush’s campaign has since asked for donations alongside an image of George W. Bush standing on the rubble of the Twin Towers.
Jeb Bush’s offspring have also become intimately involved in his campaign. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, Jeb Bush’s son, has suffered from scrutiny that he “has been out of the state or otherwise off of work nearly half of the time since his father entered the GOP race for president,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
Former Gov. Bush, who ranks fifth in the Washington Examiner‘s most recent presidential power rankings, has routinely claimed to be a candidate that is independent of his family’s past actions. But as the early nominating contests approach, Jeb Bush appears comfortable aligning shoulder-to-shoulder with his famous family asking for support.
